No easy exam for Dr. Phillips
In exhibition, Panthers turn back pesky CFCA
The nationally ranked Dr. Phillips boys basketball team faced its first test in a preseason game against small-school power Central Florida Christian Academy and sophomore sharpshooter Cameron Simpson on Thursday night.
Despite a 76-56 homecourt victory in a game that was close until the final seven minutes, Panthers coach Ben Witherspoon did not give his squad a passing grade.
“Tonight isn’t about results. It’s about our habits and consistently executing. The things we talk about every day,” Witherspoon said afterward. “We didn’t do that. We didn’t defend well and offensively we were selfish. This wasn’t a good performance.”
MaxPreps rated Dr. Phillips, the reigning Class 7A state champs, No. 1 in Florida among the 600-plus teams that compete for state titles in its preseason rankings. Class 2A CFCA was not in the top 25 but looks to have enough talent and depth to make a case.
Riley Kugel, a 6-foot-5 Mississippi State signee, led Panthers with a 23-point performance that included several high-flying dunks against the school he played for as a freshman and sophomore.
On a night when DP struggled, Kugel’s ability to finish at the rim and the big inside presence of Ernest Udeh Jr., a 6-10 Kansas signee, made the difference. Udeh scored 14 points and snatched 12 rebounds in an exhibition game that drew a sizeable crowd.
Udeh beat the first-quarter buzzer with a dunk to stake the Panthers to a 20-9 lead. But Simpson heated up with three treys in the second quarter and a gigantic alley-hoop dunk by CFCA’s senior skywalker, Jamar Houston, helped the Eagles rally. CFCA took a 29-27 lead on a 3-point shot by Antonio Redding with 1:01 to go in the third period.
Kugel answered with his own 3-pointer to regain the lead for DP and the Panthers broke open a 4-point game by outscoring CFCA 26-6 in the final 6:47.
“Three quarters into the game we were right where we wanted to be,” said CFCA coach Andrew Gustafson. “It came down to one quarter. They made some plays and we didn’t.”
Simpson, a slender 6-6 forward who came to CFCA after finishing his freshman season at East River, made five 3-pointers and led the balanced Eagles with 19 points — all in the final three quarters. He averaged 16.8 points per game and knocked down 64 treys as a ninth-grader. That included a 31-point outing against Orangewood Christian.
DP’s third high-major talent, guard Denzel Aberdeen, was held to 10 points.
Jordan Tillery, 6-4 sophomore, scored 9 of his 11 points and also delivered defensively in the final quarter of the victory. Mason Sheffield came off the bench to contribute 6 points in the closing minutes.